1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of scanning systems for reading markings, bar codes and hand-mark information and in particular, to a method and system for concurrently reading pre-printed encoded product indicia information (i.e, such as a bar code or a universal product code (UPC)) and a customer""s hand-marked information response, while using a traditional bar code reading system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In accordance with recent technical developments, it has become extremely useful to acquire consumer information, both about and from consumers, at various times in a purchasing cycle. Often, manufacturers deploy marketers and survey takers to ask questions directly of consumers. Other cases show that store owners may have prizes, consumer credit points, or drawings from entries provided by consumers in response to certain promotions. While these efforts produce certain insights into a consumer""s purchasing habits or interests, often both the surveys and the results are difficult to compile, cumbersome in format, and contain information of limited integrity. If these deficiencies could be overcome, it is believed that retrieved information from consumers would have greater value, improved integrity, be more timely and result in lower expenses.
As such, as is disclosed herein, it would be useful to utilize bar codes, especially in the inventory and sales transactions marketplaces, in order to improve efficiencies of operation and expediencies in order fulfillment in combination with gaining a consumer""s response to certain inquiries at the time of purchase. Generally, the transactional efficiencies and technical limitations of various types of bar codes, bar code readers, and bar code reading systems are well-known in the industry.
Typically, bar code reading systems are used for reading pre-printed bar codes (also used herein as xe2x80x9cUPCxe2x80x9d) and are often used in many diverse applications, such as, for example, shipping, manufacturing, and retail point-of-sale (POS) applications. The bar code reading systems are generally arranged to read one or more of the industry standard bar code formats, such as, for example, UPC, Code 39, Interleaved 2 of 5, Discrete 2 of 5, Code 128, Code 93, Codabar, and the like. As is known, a bar code reading system typically reads and decodes the encoded information of bar codes and forms a digital representation of the data which can then be displayed and/or provided to a host computer for subsequent processing.
The industry standard bar codes are generally encoded and pre-printed on packaging for an item (i.e., pre-printed bar code on a grocery item) or are encoded and machine printed on an adhesive label or tag using a laser printer. While these systems have proven to be efficient in certain environments, stray marks or variations in the surface of the bar code have often caused problems in the reading of bar codes. As a result, it is well understood in the art to avoid stray marks or the presence of additional markings near bar codes in order to mitigate problems related with the reading or scanning of the bar codes by a bar code reader. Additionally, it is generally taught in the art to undertake precautions to avoid fraud wherein a UPC code having stray or undecodeable markings is rendered void and unreadable, such that a bar code reading system is unable to affirmatively scan the UPC without intervention by a system operator or cashier.
Separately, certain hand-mark sense system are also being incorporated into certain marketplaces, wherein hand-mark sense information is read from a document by a specialized device. In fact, it is well known to use hand-mark sense information to speed otherwise routine batch-transaction processes. A relatively common example of such a process is that of using hand-mark sense information to indicate an examinee""s selection of an answer from a multiple choice examination. In this situation, an examinee darkens a selected answer on an answer sheet at a predetermined point, typically in accordance with a predetermined row selection, to indicate a single selected answer to a particular question. The marked answer sheet may then be read or scanned by an optical reader, which reads which of the possible selections was marked by the examinee. The reader then is able to record the answer selected by the examinee and compare the selected answer with the correct answer as stored in the memory of a connected database. After which, the examinee""s answer is assigned a value as being correct or incorrect, and a score is attributed to the examinee for all answers assessed.
Typically, limitations of hand-sense information systems have required an indicia, such as an oval, to be completely marked or filled-in, such that if an examinee were to incompletely mark a selected answer, the reading system may fail to detect the examinee""s selected answer. Similarly, due to these shortcomings, if an examinee or testing apparatus were to inadvertently place a stray mark on an answer sheet to be processed, the reading system may fail to accurately read the examinee""s selected answer and instead read the inadvertent marking causing the examinee""s score to be inaccurate. As is obvious, in retail environments in particular, accuracy in the capture and recording of item and price information is critical.
Accordingly, variations in the size and shape of the document, label or packaging are often limiting as well, and so is the marking and indicia themselves. As a result certain standards in the industry are preferably followed but not necessarily mandated. Further, marks resulting from consumers"" scribing hand markings often yields a marking that is distinctively less precise (i.e., non-linear, incomplete, partly-filled, etc.) than marks produced by laser printers or those marks present on bar code labels. As such, the use of hand-markings near or in proximity to bar codes labels is traditionally viewed as a situation to be avoided. Additionally, it is well understood in the art that a hand-mark sense reader is entirely different than a bar code reader, as the former is not capable of reading bar codes, generally costs more to produce than bar code readers, and often is used in combination with data systems that are quite different than systems used with bar code readers.
There do exist certain limited applications in which it is desired to combine both pre-printed bar code symbols with user-scribed data (e.g., hand-mark sense information) on the same document, each of which is inadequate due to their required uses of non-standard methods and/or equipment.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,784 discloses a method and system for reading hand modified bar codes, wherein a user places a marking within a bar code sequence. The reading device of the U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,784 is arranged to read a bar code having a portion thereof hand-modified by a user. The hand-modified bar code is then scanned using a bar code reader and decoded by a to detect which portion of the unique preprinted bar code has been hand-modified. Based upon the position of the hand-mark within the pre-printed bar code, a predetermined character is output by the reading device. However, it is noted that the encoding format of the data is entirely different than the industry standard formats, and that stray markings may have undesirable effects in the in the reading and interpretation of the bar coded information. Accordingly, bar code readers that are arranged to decode bar codes encoded in the industry standard formats can not be used for decoding the bar codes described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,784. As a result, the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,784 is wholly insufficient and requires customization in its operation, both at a systems level and a user level.
Also U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,600 discloses a method of entering a hand-marked response into a system by altering a predetermined modified bar code symbol in a manner so that the bar code is rendered readable by a bar code reader. The user is to select which of the bar codes is rendered to be readable or non-readable based upon a hand marking apart from the bar codes. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,600 discloses the use of a separate response sheet to identify and select which bar code is to be activated from a sheet of multiple bar code listings thereon. As such, the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,600 is wholly inadequate and insufficient for the needs addressed herein, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,600 also requires additional steps and customization in its operation, additional materials in its application, both at a systems level and a user level.
Based upon observations in a variety of existing markets, such as the POS retails market in particular, there is often marketing information of interest to certain establishments that is requested from a consumer at the time of purchase. Similarly, there are often marketers in stores who seek responses from consumers in survey type situation where they request information about a particular product. From a survey of the markets, at present, there is no method or system that provides a means for allowing a consumer to respond to a selected inquiry for a particular product by marking directly on the product. Further, there is no convenient method or system which provides for both the capture of a consumer""s response and the digital acquisition of product information at the time of a purchase transaction. It is believed that such a method and system would greatly reduce costs, improve efficiencies, and enhance consumer involvement in the purchase cycle, while also furthering the acquisition of informative responses beneficial to all stakeholders in the purchasing cycle.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system that provides for the reading of pre-printed bar codes and hand-marked information indicia, concurrently.
It is an object of the present invention to develop a method and system for reading a label having a pre-printed bar code and the presence or absence of one or more hand-mark sense information responses, in proximity to a bar code, such that the limitations of the prior art are overcome.
It is a further object of the present invention to develop a method and system for reading a label having both a pre-printed bar code in standard industry bar code format and a hand-mark sense information indicia therewith, using a common reader which is arranged to read and decode said bar code format and the presence or absence of hand-mark sense information on the hand-mark indicia.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a label having a pre-printed bar code and at least one pre-printed consumer response area thereon, arranged in such a manner where a scanner would be able to concurrently read both the bar code information and the consumer response area information.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a system for reading and capturing information from a label having a pre-printed bar code and at least one pre-printed consumer response area on a single label which are arranged in such a manner where a scanner of the system would be able to concurrently read both the bar code information and the consumer response area information, and process the scanned information accordingly.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for processing response information from a pre-printed label in relation to bar code information on the label, comprising the steps of: scanning bar code information and response information from a pre-printed label with a bar code reading means operatively connected with a processing means, wherein the label comprises
an encoded bar code sequence having encoded bar code information, and an information indicia area, for optionally placing response information thereon, arranged in proximity to the bar code sequence on the label to be concurrently readable by the bar code reading means with the bar code sequence, and processing the scanned information of the initial step with the processing means, is provided for.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method for scanning a consumer response from a pre-printed label on a product at the time of purchase, comprising the steps of:
providing a label for a predetermined product, wherein the label comprises a bar code sequence having encoded bar code information, and an information indicia area, for a consumer to optionally mark a response therein, arranged in proximity to the bar code sequence on the label to be concurrently readable by a scanning means with the bar code sequence, providing an inquiry statement to a consumer directing the consumer to respond to the inquiry directly on the label, and scanning the label at the time of purchase by the scanning means to concurrently obtain the consumer response indicated from the indicia area and the bar code information indicated from the bar code sequence, is provided for.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, an information label, capable of being scanned by a scanning means, comprising an encoded bar code sequence area for providing encoded bar code information and an information indicia area, for optionally placing response information thereon, arranged in proximity to the bar code sequence on the label, is provided for.
According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a label reading system for concurrently reading information from a pre-printed label, comprising: a scanning means for scanning bar code information and response information from a pre-printed label with the scanning means operatively connected with a processing means and a computing means, wherein the label comprises an encoded bar code sequence having encoded bar code information, and an information indicia area, for optionally placing response information thereon, arranged in proximity to the bar code sequence on the label to be concurrently readable by the bar code reading means with the bar code sequence, and a program code for configuring the scanning means to concurrently read a bar code sequence of a predetermined format and a consumer response from an information, is provided for.